The present invention relates generally to apparatus for applying a massaging effect to the body of a user and, more particularly, to enclosure panels for such apparatus having a low profile relative to the operational structure of the apparatus.
Massage is a time-honored and generally effective therapy for muscular injuries, strains and general soreness but, although massage is still recommended by many physicians for such purposes, this therapy has severely limited availability due to a scarcity of trained, qualified masseurs. As a result, many devices and apparatus have been proposed in the past for producing a massage-like manipulation of a user's body by various means, ranging from mechanically or electrically-generated vibrations or pulsations, usually accompanied by heating, to pulsations of pressurized water, applied either is a wet environment such as partially submerging the user's body in a bath device or in a dry environment wherein a fluid spray arrangement is housed in a fluid-tight bed or chair type structure for applying a massaging effect to the user's body without requiring the user to disrobe.
Representative examples of the latter form of apparatus, often commonly referred to as dry hydro-therapy massage, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,635,620; 4,751,919; 4,757,808; 4,908,016; 4,976,256; 5,074,286; 5,713,834; 5,827,206; and 6,036,663. Such apparatus have met with moderate success, and efforts continue within the relevant industry to expand their acceptance, availability and usefulness.
Such dry hydro-therapy massage apparatus may be embodied in apparatus wherein the user support surface is a generally horizontal bed surface on which the user may lay in a recumbent position or, alternatively, in apparatus wherein the user support surface is a generally inclined seat surface on which the user may sit in an upright or partially reclining seated position. In either case, the structure surrounding the user support surface must provide for sealing of the user support surface to prevent leakage of massage fluid for purposes of operational integrity of the apparatus as well as user comfort and safety. It is commonplace for the surround structure to be heavily built-up and padded for the same reasons of comfort and safety as well as to assist in maintaining the user on the support surface during operation. However, a disadvantage of this built-up surround structure is that users may have greater difficulty in ingress and egress to and from the user support surface over the built-up surround structure.